Dagny Solheim 
I remember sitting in the lab in Bergen, staring through a loupe at a sapphire that looked like the ocean just after a storm—that deep, bruised indigo. I’d spent hours verifying its inclusions, only to have the client call me a week later because the stone had simply vanished from its setting. It wasn’t some … Read more
I spent six years in a grading lab, hunched over a microscope until my neck felt like it was made of rusted iron, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that people love to make jewelry more complicated than it needs to be. I see these “style guides” online telling you there is … Read more
I spent six years in a grading lab looking at inclusions through a loupe, so I have a very low tolerance for people selling “magic” that isn’t there. It’s the same with hardware; you’ll see shops trying to upsell you on “premium” heavy-duty links that are really just overpriced steel with a shiny coating. People … Read more
I remember sitting in a cramped, fluorescent-lit grading lab in Bergen, staring through a loupe at a tray of “high-grade” diamonds that looked more like cloudy sea glass than anything precious. A client had come in, distraught because she’d lost half her jewelry in a single afternoon, complaining about the “bad luck” surrounding her new … Read more
I spent six years hunched over a microscope in a grading lab, and if there is one thing that gets under my skin, it’s seeing people pay premium prices for “spiritual” stones that are actually just dyed glass or low-grade scraps. You’ll see shops online claiming a stone has some cosmic frequency, but when you … Read more
I spent six years in a grading lab, hunched over a microscope until my neck ached, staring at stones that were supposed to be rare treasures but were actually just clever bits of glass. Most people think that finding the right studs and drops for coloured stones requires a massive budget or a degree in … Read more
I was sitting on a cold pier in Bergen last autumn, my fingers numb from a quick dip in the North Sea, when I heard that unmistakable clatter-clatter-clatter of stones hitting the wood. I looked down to see a beautiful strand of labradorite—the kind that looks like deep ocean water caught in a storm—scattered across … Read more